Six-time world champion Steve Davis fails in quest for a place at the Crucible

Updated / Friday, 11 Apr 2014 11:33

Steve Davis has been an ever-present at the World Championship in Sheffield for the last 35 years

Steve Davis failed in his mission to qualify for the Dafabet World Championship on Thursday night as he suffered a defeat that means he stands to lose his tour card for next season.

Davis has said he plans to compete in Q School in May, when he could grasp a career lifeline, but unless he survives that scramble for places the six-time world champion will be relegated from the elite bracket for the first time since he joined the professional ranks in 1978.

The 56-year-old has a stated desire to be a tour player at the age of 60, however he needed to beat Craig Steadman at the World Championship qualifiers to remain in the hunt for a place in the top 64 on the prize-money list.

Steadman took control early and led 6-3 after the morning session at Sheffield's Ponds Forge venue, eventually clinching a 10-8 victory for a place in the third qualifying round which puts him two wins away from a Crucible place.

If he opts to skip the qualifying school, Davis will be able to compete alongside the very best at Players Tour Championship events in 2014/15, with the prize-money list from that circuit giving him a possible route back on to the main tour for the following season.

Davis won all of his world titles in the 1980s, also losing famously in finals against Dennis Taylor and Joe Johnson.

He was a surprise quarter-finalist at the Crucible in 2010, since when his ranking has gradually fallen away.

RTÉ.ie is the website of Raidió Teilifís Éireann, Ireland's National Public Service Broadcaster.
RTÉ is not responsible for the content of external internet sites. Images courtesy of Inpho.ie and Getty Images